Innovation

From the wheel to the plow to the personal computer, there are inventions that have not only revolutionized a field of endeavor but changed the entire world. Discovery Place is opening an exhibit called The 101 Inventions The Changed The World. Some of the inventions are probably obvious, others perhaps less so. We’ll learn about some of the inventions that changed the world and take a look at how the process of inventing has changed over time.

There is a wave of new design coming and visionaries say it promises to be one of the most important technological advances of our time. 3D, or additive printing, holds possibilities that sound like science fiction, like printing new artificial limbs, human tissue, and medical tools. One company is designing a 3D printer that could someday print an entire house. But there are skeptics who say that 3D printing is expensive and their uses are still more fiction than fact. We'll look at this astonishing new technology with a Charlottean who happens to be an expert, when Charlotte Talks.

Not long ago a group of business professionals got together to discuss a new way of investing. They called it Venture Philanthropy. Social Venture Partners (SVP) was created out of this idea. The group leverages their collective expertise, creativity, time, and financial resources to develop and support promising social initiatives and nonprofits that will have a measurable, sustainable, and positive impact in greater Charlotte. To create interest and incentive, Social Venture Partners started a contest called SEED20 and some of the ideas that have grown out of the contest are astounding. We'll learn more about Venture Philanthropy and hear from contest winners when Charlotte Talks.

There’s a global race on right now where technology and innovation are concerned and America is in danger of “losing” that race. While other nations around the world are strategizing to prioritize technology and innovation to better their economies, our guests today say that America lacks in innovation policy and that this may be what contributed to the Great Recession and to our slow recovery. We’ll learn the importance of innovation with the authors of Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage.